Did Vladimir Putin Swipe Jewels?; President Obama's Approval Rating Drops; Report: Britain Tracked G-20 Leaders; Syria Tops Agenda At G-8 Summit; From Cuba To Court; Father And Daughter Find Each Other; MLB Pitcher Struck By Line Drive; Dow Set To Rally; Whole Foods Revises English Only Policy; Daytime's Best In Show

Aired June 17, 2013 - 07:30 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: -- this morning. Phil, you understand the dimension of this. What's going on there in Moscow?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Chris, there are many Russians who often refer to Vladimir Putin as a thief, people who don't like him, but they're usually talking about allegations of stolen votes or stolen government money, never before jewelry. Now, this precious ring, we understand, is being kept behind those historic red walls of the Kremlin in a special vault reserved for the president's most valuable gifts.

There it looks likely to stay because his spokesman has said if Robert Kraft is upset, if he's suffering at the loss, then President Putin is prepared to buy him a new ring of equal value. There is no suggestion the original ring will be returned. We asked him about it, didn't even want to talk about that idea. However that ring came to be in Vladimir Putin's pocket, it looks pretty unlikely it's going to be returned to the man whose name is engraved on it -- Chris.

CUOMO: Phil Black, thank you very much. Bringing it back to the table here, I did a little research. A gift is a legal thing, has legal elements. Here they are. One, you must have donative intent. What do we know about that?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Excuse me?

CUOMO: Donative, to give. I want to give it to you and I'm showing that in some way. Robert Kraft gave him the ring, but then he said I put my hand back out. Is that clear indication of a gift? I don't know. Second, acceptance, Vladimir Putin takes the gift, puts it in his pocket, known as the third element, receipt, walks away.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I will say you had me at donative intent.

BOLDUAN: My mind just went blank.

BERMAN: Legally speaking, I think the guy with nuclear weapons wins.

CUOMO: Always wins.

BERMAN: Always wins. BOLDUAN: Is Tom Brady not a nuclear weapon?

BERMAN: I think he is. That's a great point. He's like a MERB. He's like a multi-war headed intercontinental ballistic missile.

CUOMO: I don't think he should get it back. It's in the Kremlin.

BOLDUAN: I would just say have fun with that. I'm not going to ask for it back.

CUOMO: If this would have been the New York Jets, this never would have happened. You only have one ring, you never give it away.

BOLDUAN: Separating you two. We're not going there today.

CUOMO: It stings because it's true. Let's move on to something that's much more --

BOLDUAN: You say it with authority.

CUOMO: Because my jets are not so bad.

BOLDUAN: Because you're a liar.

CUOMO: Very sweet one, a picture of a Marine's wedding going viral, Bree and Josh Curtis, a couple in Lynchburg, Virginia, holding hands before taking vows. Their eyes are closed, of course, right. They're trying to avoid one another. You know the superstition. On Bree's Tumblr account, she described the moment like this. My husband prayed that God would bless the marriage, through thick or thin, together, we would never lose hope in one another.

BOLDUAN: I love those very, very sweet moments.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: It's a beautiful moment and it shows that a nod to tradition, not seeing each other, but also wanting to spend that moment. Their faith is something that ties them together, very lovely.

CUOMO: I love that this is going viral. This is a nice thing to see going viral.

BOLDUAN: People do like to share good news, though. We're going to try to do that a little bit more as well.

CUOMO: Very good segue to a segment coming up later.

PEREIRA: I thought you were going to say the weather.

BOLDUAN: Not much good news on the weather department. We'll get to that. On these top stories, let us know what you think, go to our web site newdaycnn.com. Let us know what you're thinking.

But let's get to the not good news, which is Indra Petersons. She's the not good news bringer of the day. Sorry, Indra. Day one, I quit. INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Totally I am trying, though. We are starting with Colorado, where there is like a hint of good news. Got to take what we can get. They've been seeing small thunderstorms over the weekend, and with that, fire coverage is up 66 percent. That is a good number. Unfortunately, we all know we get the sun out during the day, and the number goes down.

Good news, we're not seeing it go as low with the single digits and teens so with that, no critical fire danger today. The next couple of days are going to be looking a little bit better. But we are going to have to be watching for though by Wednesday, a dome of high pressure builds in. What does that mean? That means the temperatures are going to go up. We're talking about 90s back in the forecast.

To make it worse, a low is going to get close. The difference between high and low, that's pressure. Too complicated? Just think that means winds. We're going to see those winds picking up Tuesday and Wednesday. So they have another day or so to recover from the fire and after that, we're going to be seeing some tougher conditions out there.

In the northeast, yes, we're still talking about the rain. Cuomo, we've got to talk about five to seven inches above normal. I'm not taking the hit on this weather. What is the deal?

PEREIRA: Move back to California?

PETERSONS: Why not, right?

PEREIRA: We need you. I'm sorry about New York City. I apologize.

PETERSONS: That's all I needed. That's all I had to hear.

BOLDUAN: Chris is the New York apologist.

PEREIRA: Is that your job to apologize?

CUOMO: It's a new day. I'm in charge of all complaints in New York. I have a Twitter account. Use it for that.

Coming up on the show, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb recovering from a concussion, very serious situation. He was hit in the head by a fierce line drive. You just saw it there. Question is what will the MLB do to prevent these kinds of injuries, if anything?

BOLDUAN: Hitting the road, hitting the open road with all the comforts of home. What could you not like about this? John Berman has our NEW DAY award of the day award. Yes, you heard that correct.

CUOMO: That's a Barca Lounger going about 30.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: There it is. Our new set, our new home here on NEW DAY. That's a TV monitor. Here we are.

BOLDUAN: It takes a while. You might as well get scenery. Don't even worry about us. What's your name?

CUOMO: Chris Cuomo they call me or you can call me Chris Cuomo.

BOLDUAN: We'll call you Mo. I'm Kate Bolduan. It is Monday, June 17th. Just about 7:40 in the East. Ahead in this half hour, a lot going on, devastating blow to the head, a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher hit in the ear over the weekend. Now many are asking if safety changes need to be made to the game of baseball.

CUOMO: Rachel Nichols is here to break it down for us, very important story on many angles. A lot of news this morning, so let's get to Michaela Pereira with the latest.

PEREIRA: Good morning to the both of you. In the news right now, President Obama's approval numbers taking a dive. They've fallen eight points in just the last month. Also alarming, his disapproval numbers going up nine points, for the first time, a majority of Americans do not believe he is honest and trustworthy. The new poll numbers suggest revelations about the NSA surveillance programs and the IRS' scrutiny of Tea Party reforms are taking their toll.

A bombshell as Britain host the G-8 Summit, "The Guardian" citing documents from NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, reports British intel tracked delegates at the G-20 Economic Summit back in 2009. This year, Syria's civil war looms large at the summit. The U.S., the U.K., and France trying to put pressure on Russia over its support of the Syrian government.

Frederick Pleitgen is in Damascus with us right now joining us. Good morning and welcome to NEW DAY. Fred, I want to get a sense if there's any expectation that the G-8 is going to change anything. Are you hearing that?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Michaela. First of all, congratulations to the new show and second of all, I don't think anybody either on the government side or the on rebel side really thinks that the summit is going to change anything in the short term. Certainly, it will take more than one meeting to change anything simply because the violence in Syria is so bad.

The street I'm standing on right now is called the Meza Highway. It's one of the main streets here in Damascus. Just let's say about 300 yards down that way, there was a major suicide attack only yesterday that hit a Syrian military base checkpoint and those are just the kinds of things that you see every day.

At the same time, you have the Syrian government that's launching a major offensive in the north of the country. So right now many people say they're not even inclined to go to the negotiating table. On top of that, of course, Michaela, you have the whole thing about the chemical weapons, where the U.S. is, of course, now saying it feels confident that the Syrian regime has used them.

The Russians are saying they believe that is, quote, "fabricated." And so therefore, it's going to be very difficult for these two sides to even find together let alone have any of this make any sort of difference -- Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Frederik Pleitgen giving us an idea of what's happening there in Damascus. We appreciate that. Thanks so much.

In other news now, the couple accused of kidnapping their own children and sailing away to Cuba, are due in a Florida courtroom this morning. Josh and Sharon Hakin had lost custody of the two boys because of drug and weapons charges. Sharon's parents eventually got custody of the children. Josh Hakin's tied up Sharon's mom in her Tampa home, took the children, and fled. The Cuban government sent them back to the United States. We're told the boys were not injured. The Hakins have pleaded not guilty.

This is an amazing Father's Day story sure to tug at your heart strings. After being separated for 24 years, a woman who was adopted found her biological father. It turns out both volunteered at the very same Phoenix rescue mission for an entire year, but had never crossed paths until she called him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY ROBERSON, WILL'S BIOLOGICAL DAUGHTER: Incredible to see both of us in the same place so comfortable and so familiar.

WILL RUSSELL, AMY'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER: When you start thinking about Father's Day, in my mind, I think about my heavenly father and what he's done for me, and I think how he's blessed me to be a father. It's made my family complete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: That kiss on the forehead is what gets me. Pastor Russell says he gave Amy up for adoption because he was struggling with addiction at the time. I'm an adopted kid. Those kinds of stories --

BOLDUAN: People don't know how close to the heart this is.

PEREIRA: Those kinds of stories are very, very close to home. It's a beautiful moment when that happens. It doesn't always turn out great. When you see those reunions happen, it's life changing.

CUOMO: Thank you for bringing that to us.

Different kind of life changer we're going to talk to you about now. Tampa Bay Ray's pitcher, Alex Cobb, out of the hospital, thank God, after he was injured by this blistering line drive to the ear Saturday in a frightening scene. Cobb carried off the field on a stretcher. He suffered a concussion. Big question is an obvious one. Is it time for baseball to enact new safety measures?

CUOMO: Tough one. We've heard it before, but this one a dramatic example. What does it mean?

NICHOLS: Yes, not so great to be at the ballpark over the weekend. Fans in the stands, they heard that great crack that normally signifies a home run only that's not what it was. It was the sound of a baseball going off of Alex Cobb's skull. Take a look. It's not an easy thing to be part of.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLS (voice-over): It is one of the most disturbing sights in baseball. A pitcher, defenseless, getting hit in the head by a ball traveling more than 100 miles an hour and reaching the mound in about a third of a second. Tampa Bay Pitcher Alex Cobb tweeted that he woke up with, quote, "only a minor headache the day after being hit by a line drive," but he's hardly the only victim.

Just last month, Toronto's J.A. Happ had to be removed from the field on a stretcher, blood pouring from his ear. Last year, Pitcher Brandon McCarthy required emergency brain surgery. He's still struggling with seizures.

DAVID PRICE, TAMPA BAY'S PITCHER: You don't think about it when you are on the mount because it will never, you know, have a positive outcome, but when you see it happen and when you see line drives and hard ground balls go to the middle, you know, it definitely does cross your minds.

NICHOLS: And it's not just major leaguers. Gunnar Sandberg was 16 years old when a line drive struck him in the head during a high school scrimmage. Sandberg and his family would like to see the widespread use of protective pitcher's helmets like this prototype.

GUNKAR SANDBERG, HIGH SCHOOL PITCHER: I think it would give everyone who wears it confidence out on the field.

NICHOLS: But while Major League Baseball officials have studied several possibilities, they know that helmets only cover 40 percent of a player's head. Cobb, for example, was hit in the ear below the cap line. Anything more protective, like a hockey goalie mask, is considered too bulky for a player to wear and still pitch properly.

PRICE: Whoever comes up with a solution for this is they're never going to have to work again in their life and probably generations of their family won't have to work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CUOMO: It seems obvious, right?

NICHOLS: I mean, it's interesting, Major League pitchers, I've talked to plenty of them. They've wondered how long is it going to be, unfortunately, until someone dies on the field, is that what it's going to take? But remember, they had a batter who was struck by a pitch who died on the field in 1920, Cleveland Indians batter. They didn't require batting helmets until 1970, took 50 years. Even that sadly might not make a difference. BOLDUAN: What is the balance, though? This may be an obvious question. Why not, even if it's just 40 percent coverage of the head, why not wear some kind of pitching helmet?

NICHOLS: Well, pitchers say that maybe it's uncomfortable. It's not what they're used to. Usually big equipment changes like that, they try to get in at the Little League level so kids grow up using it. You saw the kid who was 16 years old. He had to have brain surgery where they removed part of his skull so if you're a parent and you have a kid who's on the field and vulnerable. There's no padding. There's no nothing. I think you want to look into this and find out whether your kid should be wearing something like this.

CUOMO: Pro level is one thing. They're big boys. They get to make their own decisions. The kids especially in a way baseball is even behind football in terms of the dialogue. Hopefully, this motivates it. Here's to Alex Cobb and his family. Good luck with the recovery. Appreciate it.

Coming up on NEW DAY, a Texas mom fights off a carjacker. When I say fights off, I mean, she takes on a man with a knife like she was in an action movie. How did she get out of the car and save her kids?

BOLDUAN: And get ready for the first NEW DAY award of the day award. Why this guy in his lazy boy snagged top honors.

CUOMO: Rachel Nichols, you get one for being on the show today.

NICHOLS: I feel like that's the soundtrack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Welcome back to NEW DAY, everyone. It is "Money Time." Christine Romans has all the business news you need to know today. Hi, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Strong morning on Wall Street, the Dow, Nasdaq, S&P futures, all up, up about 1 percent. This follows the sell off last week. Sell off such as Dow down for the third out of four weeks. The S&P is sell off about 14 percent for the year.

All right, lock it in, that's the call going out among consumers this week. That is the Federal Reserve sits down for two days of big important meetings. The Fed, of course, has kept mortgage rates at rock bottom lows. For the past week they've been rising, the 30-year benchmark mortgage rate right now hovering around 4 percent. The 15- year fix has the popular refinancing tool now up to 3.1 percent.

Whole Foods workers can now speak any language to each other. It's a new policy. It's comes after two Whole Foods employees said they were suspended for speaking Spanish to each other on the job. Whole Foods denies that and says performance was the issue, not language -- guys.

CUOMO: Good result. Christine, thank you very much. It is that time of the morning, John Berman is here to give us his NEW DAY award of the day, award.

BERMAN: You want to distinguish it between all other awards you see in the morning. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's me, still. It's a guy driving a lazy boy down a highway in China. Talk about faster than a speeding bullet, talking about more powerful than a locomotive. This is serious fee. Now, I know you may ask yourself a question.

Why is this man driving a chair down a street in China? Let me tell you, apparently, getting a seat in China could be perilous. Look at what happened -- this guy takes a seat that the woman thinks is hers. What does she do? She says I'm going to sit here anyway. I'm going to sit in that seat even if you're in it. She sits on for the whole trip.

BOLDUAN: I know exactly what Chris is thinking right now. Yes, why is he fighting this.

CUOMO: No, I'm wondering why the person in the back have their hand on the chair?

BERMAN: Looking at this video, it's kind of off. The bus is pretty much empty.

BOLDUAN: There are a lot of seats.

BERMAN: What is it about that seat?

PEREIRA: It's the good chair. You know, always one in the subway.

BERMAN: Let's leave that for a second. We want to recognize the guy driving the lazy boy down the highway, again. He has it all figured out. What is the award today? It is our "Man of Steel" award. "Man of Steel" in honor of the film produced by the same company that owns CNN.

BOLDUAN: Got to plug it.

BERMAN: I said "Man of Steel" award because I think that guy has it all figured out. He is, in fact, a superman.

BOLDUAN: He needs some sort of a bug guard.

CUOMO: Good stuff, John. Good award, I like it.

BOLDUAN: The inaugural NEW DAY award of the day award.

BERMAN: Will there be a second. That's the question.

BOLDUAN: All right, coming up next on NEW DAY, Americans are down on President Obama. What is behind his plummeting poll numbers?

CUOMO: Plus, we will meet a Texas woman who let a carjacker know he was messing with the wrong mom, straight ahead on NEW DAY. Thanks for being with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BOLDUAN: Hear that is music. That means it's time for the "Rock Buck," everyone where we take a quick trip through all the news making headlines today. Michaela is here with the stories lightening up the newspapers and blogs this morning.

PEREIRA: Here we go. In "The Telegraph," copper pipes could be to blame for bad hair days. Washing your hair with water containing copper can lead to split ends and unmanageable hair. From the "New York Daily News," a twist to the term, wine pairings. A former wine journalist has launched a dating site for wine lovers. It matches up folks who want to split a bottle of wine with that special somebody.

From "The Wall Street Journal," get ready, camel racing coming to the New Jersey Meadowlands just outside of New York City. They'll saddle up this Saturday night and with ostrich racing too, ostrich racing.

CUOMO: Bring in another member of the family say hello to Nischelle Turner. Welcome to NEW DAY.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: Thank you very much. Thanks for having me here. He's not a businessman, he's a businessman. I'm talking about Samsung and Jay-Z, and they are teaming up. The company plans to give copies of Jay-Z's new album to 1 million Samsung Galaxy smartphone users for free, yes, 72 hours ahead of the July 4th release.

And a surprise winner at the 40th Daytime Emmy Awards, NBC's "Days of Our Lives" took home the award for outstanding drama series. You know, it's been 35 years since "Days" won for best soap.

And a piece of Mick Jagger's world famous wig going up for auction next month. A grandmother apparently kept a lock of his hair all these years. It's expected to sell for between $2,300 and $3,100.

PEREIRA: Probably the same name as you.

BOLDUAN: Hash tag creepy. Going to say, finally, Indra Petersons is in the weather center with what you need to know before you head out the door this morning -- Indra.

PETERSONS: I'm happy it's a Monday and not a Friday only for one reason because there's so much rain in the forecast today. It's not the weekend and it's OK on a Monday, right, I mean, northeast not too bad, about 30 percent chance of showers, about good half an inch or an inch in the next 48 hours.

In the southeast, though, I just want to get, we were talking one to two inches and some thunderstorms two to four inches out there. Ouch. Good news in Colorado they have the threat for thunderstorms, as well. That is helping with wildfires. There is a change, we need to update on what could change in Colorado in just a bit.

BOLDUAN: We'll wait to see that. Thanks so much, Indra. So we're now at the top of the hour, which means it's time for the top news.

CUOMO: The president's poll numbers plummet as more Americans find him untrustworthy. Why his image is taking a beating and can he turn it around?